Spaghetti Bolognese with Mushrooms

In keeping with resolutions to live well, we bring you an easy-to-make dish to fuel your workout sessions. Pasta, in general, is a favorite of runners to “carb-load” in preparation for races, and this bolognese with mushroom sauce is a delicious way to get your fix. Bolognese is a meat-based sauce originally from Italy, and typically contains beef, but here I have substituted lean ground turkey for beef. For vegetarian version, you can use a plant-based protein substitute, such as MorningStar Farms Grillers Crumbles (though these aren’t necessarily “healthier”), paneer, or baked tofu. Also, because I love mushrooms and would eat them with almost any meal if I could, I always put sliced fresh mushrooms in this sauce. For noodles, I used a mix of angel-hair pasta and whole wheat thin spaghetti, but the great thing about a sauce like this is that you can serve it over pretty much any type of noodle you like - even use it for a lasagna!

 

Ingredients: (serves 6-8)

1-1.5 lbs ground turkey (or beef)

1 15oz can no-salt-added petite diced tomatoes

8oz can no-salt-added tomato sauce

4oz can tomato paste

8oz mushrooms, sliced

~¼ cup minced onions

4-6 cloves garlic, minced

~1tsp oregano (I used dried, but fresh would be even better)

~1tsp ground thyme

~1tsp ground sage

~1tsp ground marjoram

Salt, pepper to taste


Brown the meat in a pan over med-hi heat (no oil necessary - there will be enough fat from the meat). Add the mushrooms and onions and cook until they are soft and most of the released liquid has cooked off. Season with garlic, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, salt, pepper, adjusting quantities to taste. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Turn heat to med-lo and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serve over noodles and top with grated or shredded Parmesan cheese. Pairs well with a glass of Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon - not recommended before a work-out :-)

 

~ Karla

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Garlic Toast

One of the best parts of any Italian dish is the deliciously buttery, garlicky, toasty bread that usually comes with it. Actually, it might be THE best part. Excuse me, waiter? Just wrap my dinner to go...I’m still nomming on the bread! But who wants to wait to go to a restaurant just to enjoy some garlic bread? Granted, if it’s the super fancy kind with fresh cloves of garlic and house-made bread… However, you can easily make simple garlic toast at home, and given that this recipe only calls for 4 ingredients (3 if you don’t care much for parsley), you might already have everything you need!

Ingredients:

1 loaf French bread (or other bread of choice)

Butter (or margarine, or olive oil)

Garlic powder

Parsley flakes (I used dried parsley flakes, but freshly chopped parsley would be even better)

Heat oven to 350°F.

Slice the bread into 1 inch thick slices. Generously spread butter or margarine (or brush with oil, as pictured) on one side of the slices. Liberally season with garlic powder, and then dust with parsley flakes. Place non-seasoned side down on a baking pan (no need to grease the pan, but you can line with foil or parchment paper if you wish).

Bake 10-15 minutes, depending on your preferred level of crispiness. When cool enough to handle, serve with your main dish (if you can restrain yourself from sampling!).

If you happen to have leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container. You can reheat them in a microwave (~5-10 seconds), but reheating in an oven will result in crispier toast. Enjoy!

~Karla

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Goat Cheese Marinara Dip

Cold days call for warm comforting snacks. A hot cup of soup, colorful warm spinach salad, delicious roasted potatoes are just a few of the many quick and simple options. Another tasty snack is warm toasted garlic bread with marinara sauce for dipping. If you’re feeling especially chef-y, here’s a way to kick it up a notch with some melty delicious soft goat cheese in every bite!

Ingredients:

Your favorite Marinara sauce (See note below for a quick & easy recipe)

Soft goat cheese (I used herb goat cheese)

Quantities to be adjusted as per your liking - if you’d like to make the dip reallllly cheesy, use a shallow baking dish so you can add a lot of goat cheese slices on top to get a better goat cheese-to-marinara ratio.

Pour marinara sauce in an oven proof bowl/dish. Slice the goat cheese about ¼ inch thick, and place the slices on the sauce. Broil on low in the oven until sauce is bubbly and cheese is golden brown on top. This only takes a few minutes, so watch closely! Serve hot with some crusty toasted bread (garlic bread for more deliciousness!) to scoop up the delectable goat cheese and marinara sauce.

~Gayatri

Note:

Quick homemade marinara sauce - Heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add ¼ cup chopped onion and 2-4 minced garlic cloves. Saute until onions are translucent, then add 1 can of crushed tomatoes. Season with salt, black pepper, red chili flakes (optional), and add about 1 tsp each of dried basil and oregano (or use chopped fresh herbs). Let it come to a boil and take off the heat.

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Goat Cheese Marinara Dip - cheesy deliciousness of goat cheese added to bubbly hot marinara sauce!http://cooksofcakeandkindness.blogspot.com/2016/03/goat-cheese-marinara-dip.html

Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Spinach Mushroom Lasagna

Lasagna is one of those deliciously cheesy, belly-filling Italian meals that I crave every so often, but don’t necessarily want to take time to make - it can be a lengthy process! However, if you prepare ingredients in stages, making a lasagna can be a piece of (layered) cake :-)

Ingredients: (makes 9-12 servings)

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

3 chicken breasts

~1½-2 cups milk (I used skim)

~1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated

~½ lb spinach (I used fresh, but you can use frozen - make sure it is thawed and drained)

~¼-½ cup flour (I used whole wheat)

~¼-½ cup finely chopped onions (I used dried - adjust according to preference)

~3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

~12oz lasagna noodles

minced garlic or garlic powder, paprika, salt and black pepper to taste

canola oil for cooking

The chicken, and even the sauce, can be prepared a day or two ahead of time.

To make the sauce:

Saute mushrooms, onion, and garlic in oil over medium heat. Add flour and roast for a few minutes, then slowly stir in milk, breaking lumps if they’re formed. Add parmesan cheese and spinach and let cook for a few minutes to thicken. Adjust milk/flour/cheese quantities as desired for preferred thickness.

To cook chicken on stove-top:

Using 1-2 TBSP oil, pan-fry chicken breast over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side. Once cooked, shred chicken, then return to pan and season with paprika, garlic powder, and ground pepper to taste.

To cook chicken in the oven:

Place chicken breast in a lined, greased baking pan. Season with paprika, garlic powder, and ground pepper. Grease one side of a sheet of parchment paper, then place parchment paper greased-side-down over the chicken. Tuck the edges down into the pan so that it is snug around the chicken and the chicken is completely covered with parchment paper. Bake at 400F for 35-40 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then slice or chop.

Assembly:

Prepare lasagna noodles according to package.

In a deep baking pan, spread a thin layer of sauce. Put down a layer of noodles, then a layer of shredded/chopped chicken followed by sauce, then sprinkle mozzarella cheese. Repeat until the chicken is used up, making sure to reserve some sauce. You should have a final top layer of noodles. Cover with remaining sauce, and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake finished lasagna for 35-45 minutes at 375 F until heated through and the cheese on top has melted.

Let cool for a few minutes, then slice and enjoy!

~Karla

Italian One-derpot

This one-pot wonder is inspired by this lovely post on budget recipes. As you can see, I’ve slightly modified the name :-). I’ve also made some other adjustments (addition of mushrooms, whole grain noodles, different cheese, etc.) and this has turned into a fabulously versatile pasta dish!

Ingredients: (about 14-16 servings)

4 cups vegetable stock (I used store-bought, but you can make your own or substitute water, adjusting seasoning accordingly)

~1 cup water

~2 TBSP canola oil

12 oz. fettuccini noodles (or whole grain linguini noodles) - uncooked

~8 oz. fresh or frozen spinach

28 oz. diced tomatoes (I typically use one each of a 14oz can diced tomatoes and a 14oz can petite diced tomatoes, with no salt added)

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

~8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

4 cloves garlic (adjust amount to your liking)

Italian spices to taste (use as many or as few as you wish), ~1 tsp each: dried basil, dried oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, marjoram (adjust amount per your preference)

ground black pepper

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Pour the vegetable stock + 1 cup water into a large pot and add the canola oil. Add uncooked noodles to the pot, breaking them in half for easier mixing. Add tomatoes, onion, mushroom, garlic, and other seasonings. (Note: if you prefer less crunchy onions, you can saute them for about 5 minutes first, then add the rest of the ingredients.)

Make sure the ingredients are mostly submerged and cover the pot with a lid before bringing to a boil on high. Once a full, rolling boil has been achieved, remove lid and turn the heat down to medium.

Add the frozen spinach and return to a boil. Continue to boil over medium heat, sans lid, for about 10-15 minutes, until the pasta is cooked. Stir occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom or sides.

When ready to serve, top with the freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

This pasta marvel can be served up as-is, or along with Parmesan-crusted chicken:

~Karla

Note: I usually underestimate just how much food this recipe makes, so even after a couple of dinners and sharing with friends, I’ve been able repurpose the leftovers in a delicious chicken-pasta bake (put pasta into a lined baking pan, add cooked chopped chicken breast, top with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake at 350F for ½ hour):